Never The Same
by lightofeilia
Summary: Wishes. Desire. Family. Love. Dimensioncrossing ...accidental. What has happened to Hiei? DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I do not own YYH or anything.

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**Never The Same : Chapter 1**

Hiei was at his usual perch in the tree outside Kurama's house, sleeping somewhat contentedly in the quiet afternoon. Kurama was doing his homework and he wanted to disturb the fox demon but decided against it at the last minute. So he dozed off to sleep, not even waking up when Kurama opened the window to check on him. So the afternoon went on, with Kurama writing in his room, and Hiei sleeping in the tree, and everything else seemed normal.

Until Hiei fell off the tree and landed hard on the ground.

The sound startled Kurama, and he rushed over to the window to check. Hiei was sprawled on the ground, and he wasn't moving. Kurama ran out of his room and the house.

"Hiei! Hiei, wake up!" said Kurama frantically, shaking the fire demon's shoulders. But Hiei would not wake. He was breathing and he certainly looked somewhat peaceful, but he would not wake. Kurama carried him inside his house and quickly dialled Yusuke's number.

_

* * *

_

_'What the ... where am I?'_

Hiei looked around him, for a sign of something normal, but everything around him was black. Darkness. The last thing he remembered was dozing off on the tree outside the kitsune's house. So what was happening now?

"He's not waking up, I don't know what's wrong with him!"

_Kurama? _

"We'd better call Botan, or maybe Koenma. Or we should go to Genkai's temple. Maybe Yukina can heal him."

_Yusuke? _

_Yukina ... _

A wave of dizziness swept him, and he staggered, clutching his forehead, where the Jagan was located. Soon after, as unconsciousness started to creep in, it started to get brighter ...

* * *

"Yukina, can you do anything?"

"I'll try," replied Yukina hesitantly. They laid Hiei down on a futon, as Genkai, Kurama and Yusuke stood over him to watch the healing. Genkai, as well, could not see anything wrong with Hiei, except that he refused to wake up no matter what. Yukina held her palms over Hiei, and a blue light appeared. She willed her powers to heal Hiei as much as she could, but Hiei was still not waking up. Finally, almost drained of her energy, she stopped and shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking away.

"It's alright, we'll find another way," said Kurama gently. Yukina nodded, and went off to make tea to calm everyone down.

"Yusuke, take off his headband," said Genkai. Yusuke complied, and they all gasped when they saw the Jagan. It was twitching madly, focusing and unfocusing, as the eyeball rolled around and around in its place.

"Now what do we do??" yelled Yusuke angrily. He felt too helpless, as it seemed there was nothing they could do to help rouse Hiei.

"Call Botan," said Genkai.

"Wait, look ... the Jagan, it's stopped moving."

Hiei stirred, moaning something incomprehensible, but that was enough to take the relief off his friend's shoulders.

"Hiei! Daijoubu?" asked Kurama. The fire demon opened his eyes ... took one look at the people around him, and screamed.

**

* * *

**

**Hiei** opened his eyes slowly, and the first thing he saw was a bright, white light. He winced and closed them again, ready to snuggle deeper into sleep. He could vaguely feel the softness of a bed lying underneath him; perhaps Kurama had brought him into his room and his bed. He let out an audible sigh, why was he feeling so tired? Then the sounds of someone sobbing filtered in, and it sounded very familiar. He willed himself to open his eyes again, and he saw Yukina, sitting on a chair by his bed.

Wait ... his bed ... ?

He sat up at once, then cringed as everywhere started to ache. His leg was hanging suspended in front of him, and his arm was bandaged. Yukina jolted out of her sobbing and cried out in joy.

"Oniisan, you're awake!" she cried happily.

"Oniisan?????" said **Hiei** in outrage. _I'm going to kill whoever it was who told her! No use trying to hide it now ... _

"Who told you ..?"

"Told me what, Oniisan?'

"That ... that I'm your brother..." said **Hiei**, trailing off and looking away from his sister. Then he turned around to look at her again. Properly.

"Yukina ... why are you dressed like that?"

* * *

"Hiei! What's wrong?" asked Yusuke, alarmed. Hiei was backing into a corner of the room, screaming his head off and looking around for an escape.

"You ... YOU KIDNAPPERS! GET AWAY FROM ME!" yelled Hiei, but that didn't stop Kurama and Yusuke from approaching him.

"Hiei! We're not kidnappers!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE! I DON'T CARE! LET ME GO!"

"Hiei-san...?" said a voice, standing by the door. **Yukina **had heard his voice and quickly ran back to the room to see.

"Yukina! YUKINA, GET AWAY FROM THOSE KIDNAPPERS!"

"Kidnappers ...?" said Yukina, blinking.

"HIEI! WE ARE NOT KIDNAPPERS! WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS, REMEMBER!!" yelled Yusuke, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him.

"NO, I DON'T KNOW YOU!" Hiei yelled back just as furiously, and tried to throw Yusuke off him. Yusuke jumped back and looked at Kurama.

"That can't be Hiei," he said. "The Hiei I know can throw me off very easily. This one ... he actually _struggled_ to do so."

"Who are you?" asked Yusuke. Hiei had calmed down visibly, but stared warily at everyone except **Yukina**.

"I'm Hiei."

"Then how come you don't recognise us?"

"I only recognise Yukina. And I have no idea where I am, so I assumed you were kidnappers ... I mean, this isn't the first time it's happened ... "

Everyone in the room except HIei blinked. Since when did Hiei ever get kidnapped?

"What was the last thing you remember ...?"

"I was walking with Yukina back from school, then some guys jumped out of a car and tried to kidnap us. I pushed them away and started yelling, and everyone around came to help, but one of them pushed me ... and that's all ... I probably blacked out," replied Hiei, certain that these people were probably passerbys who had helped them both. He sat down on the futon, staring up at everyone, wondering why the looks on their faces were so grim and puzzled.

"This can't be right ... Hiei doesn't GO to school, Inari ... " muttered Kurama frantically, wringing his hands.

"Of course I do! I'm in HIGH SCHOOL, so don't go picking on me about my height," said Hiei in a huff. Then he turned to look at **Yukina**, who was still standing there, frozen. He took in the light blue kimono she wore, staring at her up and down.

"Imouto? Why are you dressed like that? There isn't a festival, is there? And when did you dye your hair? It looks cool."

* * *

"What do you mean? I've always dressed like this," said Yukina, gesturing to her tank top and jeans. **Hiei **balked. Something was seriously wrong.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital, Oniisan."

"Hospital?!" **Hiei **said in alarm, his hands going up to his forehead. _What would those stupid ningen doctors do if they saw the Jagan ...?_ His hands brushed nothing but skin. _No! Where is it? What ... what's happening? _

"Oniisan? Are you alright? You look shocked..."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?" asked Yukina sceptically. **Hiei **shook his head.

"We were walking home from school ... then some kidnappers came and tried to kidnap us ... you pushed them away and yelled for help, but when help came one of the kidnappers pushed you onto the road and you were hit by a car. Luckily it braked in time, but you got injured anyway.."

_Kidnappers? School? A ningen SCHOOL?! This isn't right. I never go to school. I'm not a ningen... I'm not! _

The room door burst opened, and a man and a woman rushed inside.

"Hiei! Oh my God, Hiei, you're alright!" said the woman, hugging **Hiei**. **Hiei**, hating people touching him, rudely shoved her away. Yukina gasped.

"Oniisan, how can you treat Okaasan like that? She was so worried about you!" said Yukina, scolding him.

"Okaasan? This woman, is my mother?"

Everyone stared at him in shock.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 1. '**Hiei' **is the real one, the fire demon. 'Hiei' is the "unreal" one, the teenager. '**Yukina' **is the real ice demon. 'Yukina' is the "unreal" one, the teenager. Lol.

I'm sure you all know by now what happened. Please leave your questions in a review if you do not understand, and I'll try my best to answer them!

Thank you for reading! Please review!

Edit// I added in a line here, which is somewhat crucial to the plot. The ningen Hiei questions the real Yukina about her hair colour.


	2. Chapter 2

Only one review? SOBS ... oh well, thank you anyway! XD

**Never the Same : Chapter 2**

_I think I know what's going on now_, thought **Hiei **grimly, as he surveyed the expressions of the people around him._ I must be in a different body, a different world ... or perhaps the same world? But that can't be right ... _

_Better fix the problem at hand first._

"Sorry ... Okaasan," said **Hiei**, feeling extremely weird. Never had he called anyone 'Okaasan' before.

"It's okay, Hiei," said the woman, giving him a smile and ruffled his hair. **Hiei **fought down the urge to pull away, or even worse, slaughter the foolish ningen for touching him. That's if he can find his katana. _I feel so vulnerable without it. _He took a good look at her. She was of average height, with black hair at shoulder length, and she had a dimple in her face when she smiled. His ... his 'Otousan' was tall and good looking, and he noted with disgust that he was wearing a scowl on his face similar to that of his own. Hiei shuddered.

"Okaasan, perhaps we should leave him alone to rest," chirped Yukina from **Hiei's **side. **Hiei **could not look at her, especially not when she was in those clothes. They looked so wrong on her. But there was something seriously not right. _How can her hair be blue ...? And mine black, if we are twins? Of course, previously it would have been possible, but not for ningens..._

"Yes, yes, but ..." the ningen woman trailed off as she nudged her husband and jerked her head over to **Hiei's **direction. The man grunted, and strode over to the bed. **Hiei **watched him coolly. They locked eyes for a moment. Finally, the man threw the woman a dark look and stalked off in a huff. The woman shook her head and stared sadly at Hiei before leaving after her husband. **Hiei **'hn'ed, and sat back down comfortably on the bed.

"Oniisan, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" said **Hiei **boredly.

"Stare rudely at Otousan."

"I didn't stare rudely. I thought he was going to say something, so I waited."

"... Oniisan, you're acting very weird."

"What do you mean?"

"First you ask me who told me you were my brother ... then you push Okaasan away, and you didn't even address Otousan!"

"Address Otousan?"

"... Oniisan, Otousan never initiates a conversation first. You were supposed to address him as "Otousan" before he said anything to you. He was waiting for that," replied Yukina.

"That's ridiculous, if he wants to talk he should talk. If he isn't going to then I'm not going to. Two can play at that game," said **Hiei **tersely. Yukina stared at her brother. _He usually doesn't behave like this! _

"I'll be going now. Rest well, Oniisan," said Yukina, getting up and kissing **Hiei **on the forehead. Hiei sat frozen, unable to move. Still, he muttered "Bye," to his sister. His sister. Yukina. _This Yukina doesn't know about the murdering brother she has. Her cold, heartless brother. She wasn't searching for her long lost brother. He was already with her. Is this ... is this another chance at life? To be able to return her embraces in the open ... to acknowledge her as my sister..._

* * *

"Imouto?" echoed **Yukina **faintly. The whole room gasped. Hiei looked at all of them weirdly.

"Of course, you nutcases, this is my sister, Yukina. Right, Yukina?"

**Yukina **stared blankly at him.

It was then Hiei noticed his clothes.

"What the... what the hell am I wearing? Gods, this looks SO gay!" he said aloud, lifting his cape ... cloak closer for inspection. All black. A shout of laughter reached his ears, and he looked up. The guy with slicked back hair was laughing hilariously, and the red haired was stifling a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"You just ... you just said your clothes look so gay ..." said Yusuke, tears coming out from his eyes.

"Well it is! And I'm not wearing it," said Hiei, taking off the cloak and throwing it on the floor. Then he looked at his pants and sleeveless shirt. And the katana hanging from his side.

"Woah ... since when do I have such a built body?" said Hiei, flexing his muscles and waving the katana around. "This is cool... I'll be able to beat up all those thugs who keep bullying us, Yukina!"

"Okay, Hiei, you need to sit down ... Yukina, you too. Yusuke, please call Botan now... I think I know what happened," said Kurama.

Flustered, **Yukina **took a seat, with Hiei sitting beside her. The sight of it was extremely weird that everyone paused what they were doing to stare. It wasn't until Hiei growled that everyone resumed their tasks. Kurama sweatdropped.

"Okay ... Hiei, this may sound extremely weird, but you are in the wrong body. This body ... doesn't belong to you. Or you, don't belong to this body."

"Wrong body? What on earth?"

"And also ... perhaps the wrong world too."

"What?! Okay, this is nuts, Yukina, let's go home. Come on," said Hiei, forcefully grabbing **Yukina's **hand and pulling her up. He dragged her out of the temple and into the courtyard, hell bent on leaving the place, looking back to show a middle finger at the redhead who was coming after him, when he bumped into something hard. He dropped on to his ass, cursing, and looking up at the tall figure.

"Wow, I beat the shrimp for once!" said Kuwabara, smiling happily before turning to look at **Yukina **with heart shaped eyes.

"Yukina! I brought these for you," said Kuwabara, holding out a bouquet of flowers. **Yukina**, momentarily forgetting her "brother" on the ground, took them and thanked Kuwabara. "But you didn't have to, Kazuma-san, because Kurama can always grow them."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" bellowed Hiei, jumping up and pushing Yukina to stand behind him, still keeping his firm grip on her. Kuwabara blinked. Kurama and Yusuke caught up to them.

"Hiei, please listen. Yukina, get him to stay, please! He's not who he really is!"

"What's happening?" asked Kuwabara, bewildered.

"Hiei-san, listen to them, onegai?" said **Yukina **pleadingly, trying to get him to let go of his iron grip on her arm. The grip loosened. Hiei turned to stare at his sister.

"Hiei-san ...? Since when have you started calling me Hiei-san? I'm your BROTHER for God's sake!"

"You see?" said Kurama, jumping in. Hiei looked so confused. That expression didn't fit well on his face. "This is what I mean. The Hiei we know in this world, doesn't have a sister. Doesn't go to school ... Dresses like that," said Kurama, pointing at the clothes. _Isn't human_, thought Kurama. _But we'll get to that later. _

"And I can only conclude that you both have switched places ... this means the Hiei WE know, is now in YOUR body in another world. Where you have your family, and go to school..."

Genkai cleared her throat, making Kurama shut up in an instant. She ordered them all inside the temple, glaring at everyone. Everybody hastily complied. Soon after, Botan showed up. She would relay everything to Koenma on their behalf.

"Hiei, are you ready to listen now ...?" said Kurama gently. Hiei nodded, but still not letting go of **Yukina's **hand. **Yukina **sensed his distress, and gently stroked his hand. Hiei visibly calmed, but Kuwabara did not. Before he could attack his favourite shrimp, however, Genkai whacked him on the head.

"Kurama is right. You are Hiei ... what is your full name?" asked Genkai.

"Nobuyuki Hiei... and my sister, Nobuyuki Yukina." (1)

"Right. The Hiei we know, is not Nobuyuki Hiei. He is only known as Hiei. Sometimes Hiei Jaganshi, but Jaganshi is just a title. Same goes with Yukina."

"But ... why? I mean, doesn't everyone have normal names?" said Hiei, puzzled.

"Every human ... has normal names. The Hiei we know, is not human. Neither is Yukina."

"Not human?? Okay, I believed everything until this. If he's not human, then what is he?"

"Demon. And so is Yukina."

"What??? How can you accuse my lovely sister as a horrible DEMON?!"

"Hiei-san," said **Yukina **gently. Hiei stopped. It seemed that even this 'other Hiei' became putty once **Yukina **opened her mouth to speak. "It is true. I am a koorime, an ice demon. Hiei-san is a fire demon. He is a very strong fighter. Yusuke ... is a Spirit Detective. Kurama as well, and he is half fox demon. Kuwabara is human, but he has powers of his own. They make up the Reikai Tantei, and goes on missions to save the Ningenkai, or Human World, from enemies. This is Botan, she is the ferry girl... she ferries dead sould to the Reikai, Spirit World. And I ... I am sorry, Hiei-san, but I am not your sister."

Hiei blinked. And fainted.

* * *

In Japanese, they say their surname first, and then their given name. Nobuyuki Hiyama is Hiei's seiyuu (voice actor) in the anime, so i just sorta ... borrowed it XD

Please review! Onegaaiii


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for all the reviews!

Now, there's one mistake here I forgot ... they're both twins, in both worlds, but Yukina's hair colour SHOULD be black, like Hiei's in the 'unreal' world. But I can't change it now, so I hope you guys will not mind!

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**Never The Same : Chapter 3**

"Too much of a shock," snorted Genkai. "My favourite sociopath, reduced to a blubbering, weak ningen. Hiei would kill himself if he saw this."

"Genkai," retorted Kurama, with as much politeness as he could force into his words. "What do we do now?"

"We wait, for him to wake up. And meanwhile, Botan should go inform Koenma."

"I'm already here," said Koenma, appearing at the door. Everyone looked up at the toddler prince of Reikai.

"So you know what's going on then?" asked Yusuke, eyeing Hiei now slumped on the floor with **Yukina **beside him.

"Yes. And I will explain," said Koenma, sitting down on the floor facing everyone there. Then he chanced a look at Hiei. His normally calm and collected face looked weary, even in his unconsciousness. "I think I should wait for him to wake up first."

"Let me do the honours, nyahahahahaha!" laughed Kuwabara evilly, picking Hiei up by his shirt and drawing his hand back to perform a punch. Hiei's head lolled back, as he dangled limply from Kuwabara's grasp.

"Kazuma-san! Don't be mean to Hiei-san!" admonished **Yukina**. That was enough for Kuwabara to drop him and for the fire-demon-turned-human to wake up groggily.

"Ow ... Yukina ... "

"I'm right here, Hiei-san."

"...Don't call me that."

"But, Hiei-san..."

"I said don't call me that!!" yelled Hiei furiously, looking away from her.

"How can you expect Yukina to address you as Oniisan when she doesn't usually?" said Botan, glaring at him. Hiei glared back. Botan 'eeped'. Then he looked away, muttering,"I'm just not used to it..."

"It's alright, Hiei-san," chirped **Yukina **sweetly. Hiei winced visibly at his own name. Then he noticed the newcomer sitting on the floor, looking impatient about something. He was wearing a cape, and on his forehead there were the letters 'Jr' on it. _Weird tattoo_, thought Hiei.

"Who's he?" asked Hiei rudely.

"I am Koenma. I am the Prince of Reikai, the Spirit World."

Hiei assumed a look of disbelief on his face. Koenma scowled. _This Hiei would be quite a handful to deal with._

"Why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself?"

"Fine. I, am HUMAN."

Everyone except **Yukina **sweatdropped.

"My name is Nobuyuki Hiei. I have a sister named Nobuyuki Yukina. Touch her and die."

Everyone sweatdropped again, this time **Yukina **included.

"I am sixteen years old. I attend Furinkan High School (1) with Yukina. I get bullied constantly because of my height, and because everyone wants to ask Yukina out." That being said, Hiei shot a glare of venom at Kuwabara.

"I have a mother who's an alcoholic, but loves the two of us very much, and a father who's a workaholic, and I hate him with all my heart."

Silence. Everyone tried to compare this Hiei's parents with the real fire-demon's parents. Not that anyone really knew much about them.

"My father is rich. We were almost kidnapped because of him. That's how I ended up here, I guess. Got pushed into the direction of an oncoming car, and so on. Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Sixteen..." mused Yusuke, chuckling. Kurama grinned, and everyone around them started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" said Hiei hotly.

"Do you want to know how old the REAL Hiei is?"

* * *

_What should I do? Do I want to stay here ...? I hate being ningen. But Yukina ... It feels so good ... to hear her call me Oniisan. _

**Hiei **stared miserably at the white hospital ceiling. _I want to go back. But I want to stay. Being a ningen is SO vulnerable. I can't even protect Yukina. _

His body felt weak, and without his youki, he couldn't heal himself like he used to. So he had to stay in the hospital for another month. _A month! Pathetic human body. Maybe I can contact Koenma or Botan somehow. _The door opened, and his twin greeted him.

"Oniisan!" said Yukina, setting her school bag aside, then sitting down on the chair beside his bed. A small smile escaped his lips.

"Yukina," he said softly. He tried to sit up. Upon seeing this, Yukina helped him, reaching over to help hoist him up. Then he caught sight of her arm.

"Yukina," he said sharply. She looked at him curiously, wondering why his face looked so black. He was staring at her arm. "What happened?" said **Hiei**, his voice barely a growl.

"Um... it's just a minor bruise ... that's all ..." said Yukina weakly, but she could tell her protective brother did not believe her. She flinched at the next question.

"Who did it?"

"One of the guys at school ... he asked me to go out with him, but I refused, and he grabbed my arm, threatening me."

**Hiei **let out a ferocious snarl.

"Oniisan, don't! You're hurt ... "

"I know. Yukina, have you reported this to the teachers?"

Yukina blinked, staring at him. _He sounds as if ... as if we hadn't done that before! _

"Oniisan," she started, trying to sound calm. "I ... we have already done that countless of times. The teachers can't do anything about it. It actually became worse ... remember...?"

**Hiei **looked away. _Should I tell her? Tell her I'm not her brother. I am, but not really. _

"Oniisan?" she prompted.

"Yukina... I...I'm not your brother. I'm not ... Hiei. Actually, I am ... but..."

**Hiei **groaned mentally. _I hate talking so much. I hate having to explain myself. I hate it when I trip up like this. _

"I'm not the Hiei you know. You see, before this ... car accident, I was living my own life.. in another world .. as a fire demon."

"Demon? You're a demon?"

"Yes ... in that world, Yukina, you existed too. As an ice demon. We had a circle of... friends. We were all half demons. I, and another three, work for the Prince of Reikai, the Spirit World, as Spirit Detectives. Basically we stop other demons from entering the human world," said **Hiei**, trailing off as he watched the expression on Yukina's sweet face.

"I don't know how you expect me to believe this, Oniisan ... "

"I know. But it's true. I have no idea how to live a ningen life. I sleep in trees, I can fight with a katana, I have pyrokinetic powers ... " Yukina looked up at him in shock. He gazed back at her, almost choking. This was the first time he could actually look directly into her innocent eyes without flinching or looking away.

"Back there, I protected you so easily. I saved you from an asshole who kidnapped and tortured you. I always watched over you. But now ... I can't. Even if I wasn't injured... I can't put up a fight against any bully. That's what's been happening, right? Your brother .. your real brother, cannot fight off the bullies who assault him and you in school."

They sat in silence for awhile, **Hiei **worrying, and Yukina contemplating. It sounded far-fetched and ridiculous, but she knew her twin was not lying. Somehow, she just knew. Add all the odd questions he had been asking previously, and it made sense a little.

"Why?"

"Why do you protect her?"

"Her?"

"Yes ... Me. Yukina. The other one. In your world."

"She ... was... is... my sister... She's just as sweet as you are. But she will never call me Oniisan, because I will never let her know that I am her brother," said **Hiei**, pain going through his chest as Yukina looked sadly at him. He looked away, and muttered, "Don't look at me like that. I hate it."

"Gomen, Oniisan... But why didn't you let her know?"

"...I don't want to talk about it."

"Oniisan..."

"Yukina... Leave me alone for now," said **Hiei**, lying back down and turning away from her. A touch on his shoulder made him jerk. He turned back to glare at her. She merely smiled, and helped him to lie down comfortably, fluffing the pillow up. She left **Hiei **with a wave, and he settled down into the sheets, dissolving deeper into his own thoughts.

* * *

"500 years old??? Are you freaking NUTS? NO way!!!"

* * *

(1) Sorry, borrowed it from Ranma. Furinkan High School.

Suggestions, anyone? Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

This story ... will not be a long one. I'm sorry. Lol. There's just not much to expand. Even the plot I have now ... so many holes I have to patch up. This is just basically to explore the events of what Hiei could have become with a proper childhood and care from his mother. And sister.

There will be OOCness, but Hiei is a teenager, and although he may be an introvert, he does behave like a teenager at times. Which includes random outbursts, teenage ranting ... That's because he wasn't brought up by thieves. Lol.

* * *

**Never The Same : Chapter 4**

"Do you wanna guess how old Kurama is?" snickered Yusuke, and Kurama grinned lazily. That grin unnerved Hiei.

"Who's Kurama again?" came the confused reply.

"Oh yeah, we should introduce ourselves first... I'm Yusuke. Ex-Spirit Detective ... Makai Demon Lord. Long story. This is Kurama. Say 'Hi' to Hiei, Kurama!"

Kurama and Hiei sweatdropped. Yusuke sounded a little **too **enthusiastic.

"This is Genkai, say 'Hi', Genkai!"

Hiei edged further away as Genkai proceeded to bop Yusuke on the head. Kurama decided to continue for him.

"Genkai is Yusuke's teacher. This is Botan. She's the ferry girl, or you HUMANS call Grim Reaper. She ferries dead souls."

"Grim Reaper? NO way! She doesn't look grim at all," said Hiei sceptically as Botan made her cute cat face at him.

"Just wait till she gets you with her oar," muttered Yusuke. Unfortunately for him however, Botan heard his comment.

"Keiko isn't here, she's Yusuke's girlfriend."

"Oh. Okay. So how old are you?"

"I lost count after about more than a thousand years passed," Kurama replied casually, watching in amusement as Hiei's jaw dropped. It was such a nice change for Hiei to socialize.

"Thousand ... years ...?" repeated Hiei weakly. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Kurama chuckled, and was about to say something but Koenma interrupted.

"Luckily for you, our Hiei does not go to school. So, while I find a way to somehow restore things to normal, you may stay here at Genkai's for awhile. Yukina will be here, and they will come by to visit most of the time. I will leave now."

Everyone immediately stopped their squabbling when Koenma got up to leave. Sensing the unasked question, he added, "I do not know how long I will take. Some research must be done. I will update you all when necessary."

After Koenma had left, **Yukina **left to prepare dinner and everyone else sat down again, lounging on the floor, throwing questions at Hiei, about his life as a human and his sister Yukina. All who knew about the true relationship of Hiei and **Yukina **were holding back their amusement as they silently compared this ningen Hiei's life to the demon Hiei's life. They talked for a little while until dinner came.

"Mmm.. delicious! Your cooking is just as good as ever!" said Hiei eagerly to **Yukina **as he gobbled food down the same rate as Yusuke and Kuwabara. Kurama could only watch in mixed horror and amusement.

"So, Hiei, do you have a girlfriend?" asked Yusuke, making kissy noises in his direction, and the whole room burst into laughter when Hiei choked on his food, his face turning red with anger, and possibly embarassment.

* * *

_There has to be some way I ended up here_, thought **Hiei **in exasperation. _If I got here, I can go back. Hopefully. _He had spent hours thinking about his predicament, torn between his desire to leave or to stay, wondering about Yukina's hair colour, bored to death by being immobile...

The nurse came by to redress his wounds. He watched her coolly as she took out the bandages, but noticed that she did a double take when she saw the wounds. **Hiei **transferred his gaze from her to his injuries, but did not see anything wrong with it. The nurse paused for awhile, but changed the bandages anyway. _That's odd_, thought **Hiei**. He examined his wounds himself, as much as his body would allow him to move, then noted that his body didn't feel so sore anymore.

The door opened, and Yukina and his "okaasan" walked in, bringing some food in.

"Oniisan," chirped Yukina happily, as she put the food down and helped him to sit up. Hiei shuddered at the touch, being so unused to it, but relaxed as he realized that he didn't have to be on guard anymore. No one would attack a weakling in a hospital, especially in a world where Hiei the Forbidden Child didn't exist. _But how? How can there be two worlds?_ Again he was back to square one.

"Okaasan," he said softly, nodding at her. Her face looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place it ... at all. _Someone I know? Can't be ... The only human female her age I know is the kitsune's human mother. _

"We brought you some food, I don't think you'd much like the hospital food."

**Hiei **nodded, not knowing what to say. He'd never uttered a "thank you" before in his life, and he wasn't about to do it now.

There was silence. Yukina realized that her brother ... or her "current" brother, might not be as talkative as her real brother. A lone fighter ... Yukina could almost feel the loneliness and anger radiating off him, and she resolved to find out more about this new brother of hers. Meanwhile, she had to make things seem normal for her mother, who was staring uncertainly at her son.

"Eat up, Oniisan," she said a little sternly, and **Hiei **looked miserably at the ningen food. He took the chopsticks and began to eat slowly, listening to the small talk Yukina and her mother made while enjoying the dinner his family made. _Family_, he mused. _That word is ... too ... weird._ _Hn_. He tried recalling his real mother's face, and comparing it to this ningen mother of his. However as his memories of her were so little, he concluded that they were not the same.

He stared at her again. A weird feeling crept over him.

Suddenly he wasn't too sure about that.

* * *

"Hiei-san, I made your room ready for you," called **Yukina **from down the hall, saving Hiei much of his embarassment. Quickly, he left in the direction of **Yukina's **voice amid hearty sniggering on Yusuke's and Kuwabara's part. His room was neat, and somewhat empty ... with a futon on the floor. Hiei sweatdropped. _Guess I'm too used to the rich life ... _

"Is there something wrong, Hiei-san?"

"Iie, no ... I just ... I'm used to sleeping in a bed," said Hiei, trying to hide the embarassment and hoping **Yukina **wouldn't think badly of him.

"Oh. That's better than sleeping in trees anyway," came the reply.

"What? Trees?" said Hiei in shock.

"Yes, our Hiei sleeps in trees."

"Nutcase ... Anyway, I'm going to take a bath. Thanks, Yukina."

"You're welcome."

"Oi! Hiei! Where are you going? We're not done yet!" shouted Yusuke, and the kitchen erupted with laughter again. Hiei rolled his eyes.

"I'm taking a bath!" Hiei yelled back, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Bath...?" said Kuwabara, before laughing loudly again, Yusuke joining in. The fire demon's idea of bath was a dip in a nearby lake, taking about only a second. Kurama shut his eyes and ears, wincing. Suddenly his eyes opened wide.

"Bath?! Hiei, dame yo!" he shouted, rushing towards the direction of the bathroom. Botan, Yusuke and Kuwabara followed after, wondering what was wrong. Kurama was banging on the door.

"Hiei, whatever you do, don't take off the bandage on your right arm!" shouted Kurama frantically.

Yusuke and Kuwabara paled.

Botan giggled and departed, saying goodbye to the rest, preparing to go back to Reikai and help Koenma figure out a solution. However her farewells were lost on the three of them trying to break down the door. She left saying goodbye to Genkai and **Yukina**.

As she was nearing Reikai, her communicator used to contact Koenma beeped. She answered it, preparing to tell Koenma that she was on her way back right now. However, his frantic voice cut her off immediately with new orders.

Seconds later she was speeding back in the direction she came from.

* * *

DUN DUN DUN! What's going to happen, ne? Tee hee. I don't know if there really is a communicator, but for the sake of my story, yes. Lol. This one's kinda short, sorry. Reviewss!! Arigatou!

"Hiei, dame yo!" means, "Hiei, no!" or "Hiei, don't!"


	5. Chapter 5

I am happy to say that I have managed to fix my plot holes! WOohoo! So it will be about medium length.

* * *

**Chapter 5 : Never The Same**

"This bandage? What's wrong with this bandage?" yelled Hiei from inside the bathroom, halfway taking off his pants. The rest of them seemed frightened about something or other and kept shouting at him not to take off the bandage, although he couldn't fathom why. He felt something hard press against him; there was something in his pocket. He took it out while grumbling, half-listening to the annoying shouts outside the bathroom. It was a necklace, with a perfectly round gem ... and it looked very much like the one he and Yukina wore back home.

Shrugging, he put it aside, then took off his shirt, only to notice that he was wearing another necklace, very similar to the one he just took out of his pocket.

"Hiei, get out here now so we can explain to you!" bellowed Yusuke.

"Let me break it down!" said Kuwabara, laughing evilly, raising his fist again.

"What the - don't you dare! I'm not dressed!" yelped Hiei, as the poundings on the door grew louder, momentarily forgetting about the pendant.

"Kuwabara! Stop!"

"Why, I didn't know you swing that way, Kuwabara," jeered Yusuke. Of course, his comment did not go unnoticed by everyone.

"Nani?!" roared Hiei and Kuwabara in unison.

"I do not! My love for Yukina is eternal! No shrimp can ever make me stop loving her!"

"Teme! I'm not a shrimp! And stay away from my sister, you asshole!"

"She's not your sister!"

"Hiei, ignore them please, just ... just don't take out any bandage on your arm and forehead." said Kurama weakly. He sounded very stressed.

"What's going on here, you idiots?" came Genkai's voice, from outside. Hiei took off everything except the bandages on his arm. _What's so frightening about this?_

"Okay, okay! Calm down! I won't take it off. Can you let me bathe in peace now?!" said Hiei hotly.

"Yeah people, leave the shrimp to jack off," cackled Kuwabara. Hiei cursed a blue streak from inside. Unknown to him, it seemed that Kuwabara has just realized the situation of Hiei's untimely switching, and that is he can insult him however he wants without having to worry about the Kokuryuhaa or his deadly katana. Kuwabara was plotting, and he was plotting evilly...

He grinned as he left the hallway with the others; it was going to be very fun for him indeed...

* * *

"Hiei ... is something wrong?" said the woman oddly, unnerved by his gaze. _This is not usual behaviour from my son_, she thought worriedly. **Hiei **started, unaware that he'd been staring. He shook his head and continued eating, while Yukina tried frantically to keep chattering away to avoid her mother's suspicions.

_Is she my real mother? I can't know for sure unless I contact Botan or Koenma ... but do they exist in this world too? _**Hiei **felt too helpless, as all his questions started piling up again, but with no answers.

Suddenly the woman gasped. Yukina turned around to look at her frightened, pale face.

"Hiei ... Hiei, where is your necklace?" cried the woman, coming closer to get a better look at him.

"Necklace?"

"No ... NO... it's gone ... you lost it!" said the woman hysterically, feeling all over **Hiei's **neck. **Hiei**, too startled to do anything, wondered what necklace she was talking about.

"Yukina, what ...?" said **Hiei**, but he didn't finish the question at Yukina's silencing look. _Of course ... if I had a necklace, I should pretend to know about it, _thought **Hiei**.

"Okaasan, I'm sure Oniisan didn't mean to lose it ... it must have dropped during the accident or something, you can't blame Oniisan for losing it!" said Yukina hastily.

"Yukina... Yukina, I need to talk to your brother alone for awhile." The woman's breathing had grown heavy, and she seemed very panicked.

"Okaasan, doshite...?"

"Onegai, Yukina," pleaded her mother. Yukina nodded, and with one last look, she left the room to wait outside. **Hiei **turned his gaze back to this woman, this ningen woman who claimed to be his mother. Suddenly the thought struck him, like lightning. _Could it be possible ...?_

_If Yukina is my sister in both worlds, then is it possible for her to be my mother?_

* * *

Absently drying his hair with a towel, Hiei looked into the mirror. The bandages were wet and felt distinctly uncomfortable, but ever since arriving into this weird world of demons he suspected it must have something o do with fire, as this "other Hiei" was a fire demon. He sighed. Perhaps being a demon wasn't so bad. After all, the impression demons have on people have always been big, dumb and ugly. He stared closely. His hair ... why was there a patch of white hair on his head?

Sighing, he unlocked the door and walked out, to where everyone was waiting for him. Kurama greeted him first. Yusuke and Kuwabara were still fighting with each other.

"Why don't you two just kill each other and save me the trouble," grumbled Hiei as he sat down on the floor. "So," he turned to Kurama instead, "What's all the fuss about?"

"Hiei is a fire demon. That bandage around your arm is warded to control his powers. Simply put, if he takes them off, he can literally unleash hell. But, you are not experienced, so ..."

"Ah, I see ... Okay, I won't take them off then."

"Good, because not only will you injure others, it will injure you severely as well. The first time Hiei let loose the...er, powers, he almost blew off his whole arm. Um, the bandage on your forehead is also warded, and it's called a Jagan."

"Jagan?"

"Yeah. The third eye."

"Third eye? Cool!" exclaimed Hiei, with a look of wonder on his face. The rest of the Tantei cringed. This Hiei would take some time getting used to.

"Don't take it off! Like I said, you won't be able to control it ... and no, no one's going to teach you because you're not supposed to know."

"Tch. Fine..." said Hiei, fingering the necklace. Then he remembered that it looked like the one his mother gave to him and Yukina.

"Hey, where did this other Hiei get this from?" said Hiei, holding up the necklace for everyone to see.

"Er..." said Kurama, smiling uneasily. Unfortunately for him, and everyone else present though, Yukina spoke up.

"Oh, I gave that to Hiei-san before he left for the Makai. I asked him to give it to my brother and tell him that I, his sister, is waiting for him. Until now, he hasn't found my brother yet though..." said **Yukina **sadly.

"Oh. Then why do I have two of this?" said Hiei, holding up the other one.

_SHIT! _Everyone shouted mentally as **Yukina's **eyes grew wide.

* * *

"Hiei ... I need to ask you one question ..."

"Hai."

"What colour is Yukina's hair?" said his 'mother', closing her eyes, as though not daring to hear his answer. **Hiei **blinked, startled by the unusual question. He thought hard, and fast. _Yukina's hair colour is teal ... but it's not possible, not in the Ningenkai. People would have noticed by now. What is she trying to hide ...?_

"...Blue. Sort of. More to the colour ... teal."

The woman gasped, and turned to look at him in shock.

"Why... why are you so calm about this?"

**Hiei **did not reply. He merely shrugged.

"For 15 years, your sister had black hair, surely something must be wrong with you if you aren't surprised!" said the woman hysterically.

_15 years? Black hair? _

"Okaasan... I don't understand."

"Of.. Of course you don't," she said, sighing. She got up and opened the door, gesturing for Yukina to come in.

"I'm... sorry. Both of you. I'm sorry for not telling you all this earlier."

And with that said, she began her story, the real truth of everything that happened.

* * *

"Yukina? Yukina! Daijoubu?! Yukina!" said Hiei frantically as he tried to wake the unconscious **Yukina**.

* * *

That's it for chapter 5! By the way, I redid chapter 1. I just added in a single line, in which the ningen Hiei questions the real Yukina about her hair colour.

Review please! Onegai! Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Lol.

I just found myself in another plot hole, but I'm not gonna care about that until someone manages to point it out XD

* * *

**Chapter 6 : Never The Same**

"Doshita, Okaasan?" said Yukina, tilting her head, wondering what could have possibly upset her mother so. **Hiei **remained indifferent.

"Hiei... Yukina. I've lied to you both for so long ... but please listen to me. Believe what I say..."

"Believe what?" said **Hiei**, irritated.

"We... we are not human."

**Hiei **jerked so hard he dropped the chopsticks. Yukina mouth was slightly open in disbelief. _First Oniisan, now Okaasan too? _

"Please don't interrupt me while I tell you how it is so," said their mother gently. Her voice was so soft, so soothing, washing over both of them, making them relax slightly. She thought hard on how best to phrase her story without frightening them too much, aware that her beloved children were listening intently. She looked around; making sure no one else heard her, before speaking softly.

"I am an ice apparition, a koorime, or ice woman. I have ice and healing powers. Our clan ... ice apparitions like me, we lived in the Floating Kingdom of the Koorime, high above Makai."

"Makai?!" gasped Yukina. "Is... is there such thing...?"

"Hai. Our clan... only consists of women. We, as mothers, give birth to two female twins, as tradition goes... but I did not follow the tradition. We produce children by our own ... but I ... I fell in love with your father," she said, and her eyes softened, as though reminiscing the love she had for her mate. **Hiei **looked disgusted, but masked it with indifference. Yet who was he to blame his mother for falling in love?

"Your father was a fire apparition. We mated, and I gave birth to both of you. Yukina, you are an ice youkai as well... Hiei, you are a fire youkai, like your father, but I'm not sure whether you are mixed..."

**Hiei's **mind was reeling._ How? Things happened exactly the way they did. Then how did I get here...?_

* * *

"I'm back!" screeched Botan as she burst unceremoniously in on them, only to find an irritated and worried Hiei, and **Yukina **passed out on the floor.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Koenma wants to see you now!" chanted Botan at top-speed, making everyone blink. Hiei clutched **Yukina **even more tightly to him, refusing to let go.

"Go," ordered Genkai. "I will take care of her."

"I barely know you," spat Hiei.

"And you barely know her either!" retorted Genkai, glaring.

"She's my sister!" roared Hiei.

"Not in this world."

"Hiei, Genkai can be trusted, don't worry," said Yusuke, following Botan outside, Kuwabara and Kurama tagged along hurriedly, dragging a disgruntled Hiei with them.

"It must have something to do with you, Hiei. I didn't expect Koenma to be that fast," remarked Yusuke as they went through the portal to Reikai.

"Damn right it does," said Koenma, startling them all as he appeared before them. He was in his toddler form, and looking very irritated about something.

"Follow me," he barked, and they did so meekly. He led the way, and told Kurama not to try anything funny, while muttering under his breath all the while. Finally after about half an hour, deep in Reikai palace, they came to a room. Koenma waved the guards aside, and proceeded in. The room was small, even the room itself was inconspicuous if there hadn't been any guards standing outside of it. Inside, there were various things (_shiny things_, noted Kurama absently) littered on the shelves, but right at the back of the room on a pedestal, floating in midair while whirling on the spot slowly, were two _eggs_.

"Eggs?" said Hiei incredulously.

"Yes," said Koenma, rolling his eyes. "Eggs."

"This, is what we call a Time Egg. It represents the world. The dots represent the people. Look closely," ordered Koenma. They did so, peering at the two cute eggs closely. Each were about the size of a normal globe, and on one egg there were tiny, scattered red dots marking almost the whole egg itself, and on the other it was the same, except the dots were blue.

"It represents the world? Then why are there two? Makai and Ningenkai?" asked Kurama.

"No. Twenty thousand years ago, this egg... was originally one. One day, when the guards checked on it, there was a tiny egg about the size of a stone beside the original one. It grew bigger and bigger and finally stopped at this size. The one with the red dots is the original one. The other one ... well, it's something like a clone, only it happened naturally. Enma-sama, my father, he ordered people to research and examine these two eggs. They looked into each and every person's life in each world, comparing it. They were both the same. A fisherman in that world was also a fisherman in the other world. The investigation went on for five thousand years, and in the end, they concluded that it was in fact, a replica of the original world, and nothing was wrong."

"However ..."

* * *

"I knew my son's life was in danger," she continued, looking sadly at Hiei. The fire demon felt his stomach churn uneasily. He fixed his gaze somewhere else.

"I had to get out of that place. Never before had there been a male born into our clan, if I stayed there, they would undoubtly kill him, because he is the Forbidden Child. My best friend, Rui, helped me to escape."

"Rui-san?" said Yukina in shock. "Our neighbour?"

"Hai. I begged her to come with me, if the elders knew she helped me escape, they would kill her. So I fled with the two of you before they found out and took Hiei away from me. I came to the Ningenkai, here."

There was silence as this information was processed. **Hiei **felt an impending headache from trying to figure out what was going on.

"Yukina-chan... When koorime cry, their tears turn into gems, or hiruiseki. Because of that, I had to put wards on you two since you were a baby, so that whenever you cry, you don't cry real tears. Also, yours has an added ward, your hair is blue, like mine ... that ward is made specially so that other people see your hair as black. The necklace is your wards... I told you never to take it off, remember?"

"What about me?" blurted **Hiei**_. I would not know, I have never cried... And I will never cry. _

"I don't know, but I did not risk it. I put the same wards around you as well," came the reply.

"But your hair colour is black," said Yukina, puzzled.

"I dyed my hair. It's easier that way."

"The wards also contain your powers. But, Hiei has lost his necklace, which is why he could see your hair colour ... his senses are heightened now, and he can see past the wards..."

"Is this true, Oniisan? You can see? My hair is really blue?" said Yukina, turning to him.

"Hai," said **Hiei **softly.

"Why don't you look in the mirror while you take it off?" suggested her mother. Yukina nodded and eagerly ran to the adjoining bathroom. **Hiei **looked at his mother, his true mother Hina, and he suddenly felt like he didn't want to go home anymore.

_This is what I have always wanted..._

* * *

"After that, we didn't realize, but that clone world began to change. You see, as people's lives go on, we all have one big decision to make at one point in our lives. And then, sometimes, you can't help but wonder what could have been if you'd pick the other choice. This world ... the people in this replica made different choices. I do not know how exactly they managed to convince themselves, but I can tell you that they did."

"Look!" gasped Botan, as she pointed to the real world egg. There was a small, blue dot in the center of millions of red dots. In the other Time Egg, there was a red dot in the midst of the blue ones.

'"Yes," said Koenma gravely. "That, is Hiei. Once I heard Hiei's story just now, I knew the only thing that could be related was this two eggs. I came to check, and I found this."

"So what big choice did Hiei take to completely change his life into human?" said Kuwabara in awe. Kurama and Yusuke nodded their agreement, their gaze transferring to the bewildered Hiei. Koenma fixed him with a stare, before replying softly.

"It was not a choice **he **made, and neither is he human."

* * *

How did you like it? Is it confusing? Anything you guys don't understand? Lol.

Review please! Onegai! Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for the reviews! -beams-

* * *

**Chapter 7 : Never The Same**

"Not a choice he made?" repeated Kuwabara blankly.

"Not human?!" echoed Hiei in disbelief.

Koenma nodded, his expression serious and grave. He started to say something, then looked hard at Hiei, who glared back. Then his gaze turned to Kuwabara, who looked very confused indeed, but impatient as well.

"Ah.. what should we do indeed?" said Kurama, chuckling. Koenma glared; it was not a trivial matter.

"Nani? Nani nani?? What's going on?"

"I want to know!"

"Me too! What is it you know that we don't ... oh," Yusuke's voice trailed off when he realized. Koenma was about to reveal something about Hiei which included the fact that he was Yukina's brother, and Kuwabara didn't know that. If he found out, Enma help his son when the real Hiei came back.

"Nothing," said Koenma, very briskly and unconvincingly.

"I think it should be fine, Koenma... We can safely say we had no choice. Hiei might keep a grudge, but it's best for everyone," said Kurama truthfully.

"What the hell are you nutcases talking about?" grumbled Hiei. Kuwabara voiced the same thing, only much more louder.

"Are you sure, Kurama?" asked Koenma. Kurama was closest to Hiei, and possibly the only one person Hiei did not want to kill on a daily basis. Other than Yukina, of course.

"Yes," the kitsune finally said, after taking a deep breath.

"If he intends to kill me for this, I'm going to make you my shield," grunted Koenma. Kurama chuckled, and waved for him to continue.

"In this clone world," he continued, gesturing to the Time Egg, "Hiei's mother is still alive."

"Of course she is," interrupted Hiei.

"His real mother. The koorime who fell in love with a fire demon."

"What?!" exclaimed Hiei, his expression contorting into fury and bewilderment.

"You are a demon, Hiei. Your mother made the decision to run away to save your life. In this world, Hiei was cast off the Floating Kingdom of Koorime because he was the first male ever to be born in that clan. You see, koorime produce by themselves, usually giving birth to two females. But Hina, your mother, fell in love with a fire demon, and they reproduced ... the normal way. Giving birth to you, and Yukina."

Kuwabara's jaw dropped.

"You mean, Hiei is Yukina's brother?! All this time she's been searching and he's right under her nose!" exclaimed Kuwabara. Then, frowning, he rounded on Yusuke and Kurama.

"You knew?"

"Yeah. It was during the mission we were supposed to rescue Yukina. You took one look at her and dashed off without listening, that's why you missed it," snickered Yusuke.

"But why didn't you tell me, asshole?!"

They both shrugged, and simultaneously said, "Hiei." Then they glared at him. "Don't you dare tell Yukina about it. Hiei restrains himself, but he would not hesitate if you do it."

"My father is a fire demon?! That explains his horrible temper," said Hiei, scowling.

"And yours," jeered Yusuke, and Kuwabara laughed. Hiei shot them a fiery glare.

"Hiei, you are the Forbidden Child. You were lucky, because your mother decided to flee before the elders could get their hands on you. It was against tradition for a male to be born, so they dropped him off the floating island, intending for him to die."

Hiei gulped, suddenly thankful.

"Right, so what do we do? How do we return them back to normal?" asked Kurama.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing much I know... yet. I have already informed our researchers about this unprecedented event, so they will begin work immediately. This is, after all, still new ... I suspect more clone worlds will be created, in the future. It seems like a natural process."

"Evolution..." whispered Kurama.

"Yes. So, all you have to do is wait. I promise it will not take long."

"Koenma ... can I ask one thing?" said Kurama hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"What happened to me, in the other world?"

Koenma shot him a fierce look.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"I have checked," said Koenma. "You died in that world. Together with Kuronue, because you did not leave him to die alone."

The room fell silent, as Kurama bowed his head and hid his face behind his bangs. The rest shifted uneasily, uncertain as to how their friend would react to that.

"And my mother ...?"

"Miscarriage."

"No..." whispered Kurama softly. Koenma nodded gravely. "If you did not enter the woman's womb, the baby would have died. And it did, in this clone world. Now, let us leave so my men can start work."

They began to file out of the room, one by one.

Hiei and Kuwabara were up front, bickering, so they did not notice the last words Koenma said to Yusuke and Kurama before they left.

"Be careful. This means Hiei still has his powers, being in the same demon body. Now that he knows, he might want to try it. He might not have control, and that is a bad thing," said Koenma urgently. They nodded and departed.

* * *

"I have something to tell you," began **Hiei**, his voice unusually soft, noted Hina.

"Yes, dear, what is it?"

"I... I am not the son you know."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I am Hiei, essentially ... but I am not from this world. I ... I don't know how it happened, but it did. In my world ... I was the Forbidden Child. After I was born, the bitches - " **Hiei **was cut short at this point by his 'mother' who gave him a stern glare. " - fine, the elders threw me off the kingdom."

"It ... it really happened? The fate I ran away from ... the choice I did not take?"

"Yes. But I survived. I survived, and I came back, but you had died. Then I learnt I had a twin sister, Yukina. I set out to find her. She had left the island to find me..."

By this time, Yukina had returned from the bathroom, patting her hair consciously.

"It's so cool! My hair is blue, and it looks better actually."

"Yukina knows ... I told her this afternoon ..." said **Hiei**.

"Oh, you told Okaasan? Yes, Oniisan told me the same thing."

"But... there is a difference. I have the Jagan implant on my forehead, and a Black Dragon Tattoo on my right arm. I had the Jagan implanted so I could find Yukina, and the hiruiseki my mother cried, which I lost during a battle. I trained myself everyday, and in the end, I found what I was looking for."

"You found Yukina? In the other world?"

"Yes. She was looking for me. But I did not reveal myself to her... though I continued to watch over her."

"But ... why?" said Hina, puzzled. **Hiei **sighed.

"I am a ruthless murderer. I will never taint my sister with myself, a killer ... it is best if she knows not that she has that kind of person for a brother..."

The next thing he knew, he was enveloped in what was possibly the first hug of his life.

"Silly boy ..." said Hina, holding him tightly. "Killer or not ... This world or that world ... you are still my son," she whispered. Yukina came closer, and smiled at his dumbfounded expression. She wrapped her arms around them. "And you are still my brother... Oniisan."

**Hiei's **eyes burned. He had never cried before, not even when he was born... but this was the closest he had come to crying, in all of 500 years. He closed his eyes, effectively stopping the tears that threatened to emerge, but returned the hug all the same, though not as tightly. And as he held, and was held by, he couldn't help but think wistfully...

_Why wasn't I born in this world ...? _

* * *

**An explanation of sorts...**

Have any of you heard of a game called Chrono Cross? The idea came from there. It had two worlds, and basically the same thing with all the "same people lead different lives in different worlds, because they made different choices".

Have any of you heard of Tsubasa Chronicles? The main characters in that anime had to travel across dimensions to obtain the lost memories of Princess Sakura. The memories (wings) had scattered across different dimensions. In those different worlds they travelled to, they met the same people, and they all lead different lives. The only difference is that there were more than two worlds. Which comes to the theory of evolution. I made it so that the Time Egg evolved. And that is how the other worlds come to be.

Hiei's personality here in the Human World is very much like the average teenager, except that this teenager is bogged down by the rich life he lives which is the envy of other people, and therefore he does not have friends.

I had originally planned for Hiei clone to meet with Kurama and Kuwabara and Yusuke clones, but I decided I needed to fix a different scenario in which they chose different paths. The first one I have revealed is Kurama. He did not leave Kuronue, and died by his side. Lol. In a way, it is probably good, because Youko still cannot really forgive himself for abandoning his friend... he regrets it very much. I also thought of another idea, in which instead of staying to die, he did escape to Shiori, but at the age of ten he made the choice to leave. Lol. I preferred the other one though, so sorry. Hehe.

There's much more to come! Real Hiei in a ningen school XD oh, the horror ...

Review please ! Arigatou


	8. Chapter 8

Enjoyy!

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**Chapter 8 : Never The Same**

They left him there in the hospital room, after gently positioning him comfortably on the bed. They bade him goodnight, and Hina winked, saying they'd be back to pick him up tomorrow. Yukina looked confused, but **Hiei** smirked, knowing exactly what to do.

Late that night, after making sure there was no one around, and all the nurses had completed their rounds ... he concentrated on his youki to heal his body_. Oh yes, I can get out of this place tomorrow ... _

_I am demon again. Joy..._

However, the endless youki that seemed to stream forth surprised the fire demon. But it was only for a second because the realization that he did not have the Jagan hit him then.

_

* * *

_

"Oi, Kurama... are you alright?" asked Yusuke uncertainly. The redhead had been walking so dazedly behind them as they made their way back to Genkai's temple.

"What's wrong with him?" said Hiei, having heard Yusuke's question and turned around to face Kurama. Kuwabara caught hold of his head and messed his hair up, chuckling. Hiei snarled and bit his hand. A squabble ensued ...

"Geez, those two ..."

"Oh, let him be, you two do it all the time as well. Acting chummy with your friends ... I guess now is a good time for Kuwabara to do so without getting killed, ne?"

"Perhaps you're right ... still, one of them might eventually snap or something. So, are you okay ...?"

"I suppose. I mean, Youko regrets leaving Kuronue behind for all these years ... he's kind of relieved to know in another world he didn't abandon his comrade, although he had to die. He says it's against his pride to die in a failed thievery though, which is probably why I'm here in this world, which accounts for me not being there in the other world ... So you could say it's just a shock, but..." Kurama trailed off when he turned to Yusuke.

Yusuke's eyes were round as saucers, which meant he didn't understand a single word Kurama said. Kurama laughed.

"Hey, you asked, I answered..."

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of the stupid guy, why don't you..." grumbled Yusuke under his breath, shoving his hands in his pocket, walking forward to break up the catfight ahead.

"Oh my..." said Kurama, stopping in his tracks. The fight had ensnared Yusuke when he tried to break them up, but it stopped when Kurama uttered those two words.

"Why? What?"

"Yukina, remember ...?"

"Oh. OH. Well, we'll just have to explain to her, so we'll leave it to you because you're good at explaining things," said Yusuke, shrugging. Kurama opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut short by Kuwabara.

"Get back here URAMESHI!"

"You bastard, stop pulling my hair!" yelled Hiei, kicking Kuwabara with all his might. He was trapped in a headlock.

"Kuwabara, stop bullying Hiei!" admonished Yusuke, moving in to break it up.

"Urameshi, stop being gay!" retorted Kuwabara.

"NANI?!" roared the two voices. Kurama winced.

"TEME - "

The curse words about to fly out from the two were effectively interrupted by punches on their head.

"OW!"

"Genkai, that hurt!"

"Good, otherwise I wouldn't have punched you to begin with," said Genkai, adding another kick in for effective measure, but only to Kuwabara since she assumed he started the fight.

"Come on. Yukina's waiting for an explanation."

"Why didn't you tell her then?"

"She doesn't want to hear it from me," said Genkai acidly, looking pointedly at Kurama. Kurama flinched under the heated gaze, and mentally composed himself to be prepared.

"Can it wait until tomorrow ...?" said Kurama, pleading. It was late, his mother would worry about him. And he did not like to make his mother worry.

Genkai casted him a look, then grunted before walking back to the temple.

"Bye guys," said Kurama, waving.

"See you tomorrow," called Yusuke and Kuwabara after him.

* * *

The morning arrived, and **Hiei** smirked with his eyes closed. _Oh, the nurses would have a fit ... let's see, in about an hour's time..._

Sure enough, just as he'd predicted, the nurse came in to check on his wound, and gasped. She turned her wide eyes to him, whose expression settled into a confused and puzzled look, while inwardly gloating. The nurse dashed out of his room, presumably to fetch the doctor. Said doctor walked in just as Hina and Yukina arrived.

"Ah, Nobuyuki-san. There seems to be a problem with your son's condition."

"My son? What's wrong with my son?" said Hina, faking a look of concern as she shot a wink over in **Hiei's** direction.

"Well, he appears to have recovered ... completely."

"Oh, then what's the problem?" said Hina innocently. Yukina and **Hiei** were trying their hardest not to laugh at the appalled look on the doctor's face.

"Nobuyuki-san, no one can possibly recover so fast from a car accident."

"And so? You want to experiment with my son? Stick all sorts of stuff into him? Do live tests, like... like some lab animal?" said Hina furiously, her voice rising with every word. The doctor stood up, attempting to placate her fury, but she stood her ground.

"If, as you say, my son is alright, then I want him discharged immediately."

The doctor sighed.

"Very well, Nobuyuki-san," said the doctor in resignation.

Yukina beamed, and as soon as the doctor and nurse left, **Hiei** burst into full-blown laughter, the first time since he had laughed with Youko after Yusuke's resurrection.

"That felt good," said **Hiei** as they walked out the hospital. They came to an elegant silver Mercedes, and Hina settled down at the back with Yukina. Hiei hesitated.

"Oniisan? What's wrong ...?"

"I don't like sitting in ... in ningen ... vehicles."

"Oh. But you have no other choice, Hiei... I mean, we have to go home..." said Hina.

After much coaxing and persuading, Hina soon found it hard to treat him like an adult and promised a reward for him as a last resort. **Hiei** finally agreed, but insisted that the reward be sweet snow when they got home.

"Sweet snow?" said the other two, puzzled. **Hiei** cringed, then corrected himself.

"Why do you call ice-cream sweet snow, Oniisan?"

"It ... it looks like snow. And it's sweet."

"Oh, I forgot, you used to stay in the Makai so you've never had ice-cream before that..."

"Yeah."

The car ride passed on with **Hiei** fidgeting at every turn the driver made. Hina wanted to know more about her "new" son, about his life in the Makai and much more, but within hearing range of the driver, she kept quiet for the time being. Yukina was fingering her hiruiseki necklace in delight and wonder, and occasionally looking at her brother's necklace as well. Soon the car pulled over.

"Home, Oniisan," said Yukina brightly. Hiei was not amused, nor surprised, at the big, grand house. He wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Come on, let's get you inside. We still have to discuss plans for school," urged Hina.

"I don't want to go to school," retorted **Hiei**, and flinched when Hina smacked him on his shoulder.

"You're not talking to me like that, young man," said Hina, but her eyes were twinkling.

"...Hn."

_But I really don't want to go to school,_ thought **Hiei** in indignation as he devoured his sweet snow, ignoring his mother's reprimands for eating so fast. _I'll stick out like a sore thumb ... but wait, maybe I can take care of those stupid thugs who bully Yukina ..._

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Sorry for the long update! Here is some shameless advertising ... check out my story Silent Portrait if you like HieiKurama romances! Lol. Yeah, I've been working on that and neglecting this because I ran into a plot hole XD I got out of it again, so weeee. Anyway, I know a promised a school chapter here, but it'll have to wait because I made a few changes. Sorry! Please review and tell me what you think about it!


	9. Chapter 9

NOTE

Dear reviewers,

I'm so sorry but this fic is going to be completely abandoned. It was a great idea while it lasted but I cannot come up with a proper explanation as to how **Hiei **has managed to live in the human world for 16 years when he is actually 500 years old and not know about it. I also cannot come up with an explanation as to how the switch happened and how they could switch back. Maybe when I'm done with all my other fics, maybe when I finally have no other plotbunnies I might re-edit this whole thing, because frankly, looking back at my writing, it sucked quite badly. The chapters were also way too short (because I was always in a rush to get to the point).

Thanks for sticking with me until that last update, and yeah, I think a lot of you have given up hope on this fic that an apology for abandoning this fic is kinda too late...

Thanks to all reviewers : - **Ashen Rose Shadow** and **lectaelf,** both of whom gives the most amazing reviews and ideas, Sarehptar, May All Your Bacon Burn, shiorifoxiesmom, Kyuubi-kun, hilagyo, Hoku ala, PleaidesWolf, psychicfiredemoness, and Tama-chan40.

Sincerely,

lightofeilia


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